At the End of the Rainbow
by stress
Summary: Done for the RBLH. After a disastrous fire sends Jack & Stress up to Rainbow Bridge, a cocky Canadian tries to put himself between the pair. Will it take whatever's at the end of the rainbow to keep them together? It just might.
1. ANTICIPATION

**Summary**; Written for the RBLH (_RAINBOW_ _BRIDGE_ _LODGING HOUSE_; WWW . GEOCITIES . COM / INSTITUEOFGRACE). After a disastrous fire sends Jack & Stress up to Rainbow Bridge, a cocky Canadian tries to put himself between the pair. Will it take whatever's at the end of the rainbow to keep them together? It just might.

**Disclaimer**; I do not own, nor stake any claim, to any of the original newsboy characters -- they are the property of Disney. The main characters Stress and Riley belong to me. Any other character, when noted, is property of their respective owner. The Rainbow Bridge Lodging House belongs to Dice & Iris.

**Originally Posted**: 08.01.02 – 08.05.02

**Rewritten**: 05.08.06

**Author's Note**; Just like I have done with Cuts Like a Knife, Secrets Behind the Lies & Cowboys and Kisses (_Sealed with a Kiss_), I've decided to rewrite _At the End of the Rainbow_. This was a short piece, one of my first, at only 9,000+ words. I wrote it for the RBLH and it was rough, I'll tell ya, writing for a LH that wasn't BALH. But, that's OK. I liked it. Anywho, I went through the story, corrected the accent/dialect, as well as making the story flow better. I also cut it down – while it was originally 8 short chapters, I combined a few to make it a bit shorter (6 chapters). It works better for me this way. Enjoy! – _Stress._

_--_

I. ANTICIPATION

"Oh Jack," she whispered, brushing a light brown curl out of one of her golden eyes, "I ain't never been out of New York before. And now, look at us. We gotta go all the way up to Canada." She leaned up against the only other stowaway on the train to Canada, a boy of about seventeen. He had longish, sandy brown hair and eyes that were only a shade lighter. His trademark black cowboy hat was perched on top of his head and did well to hide his eyes; they were filled with worry.

He pulled the girl closer to him. It was cold on the storage cars at the end of the train and he wanted to make sure she didn't catch a chill.. "It'll be alright., Stressie. We'll only have to live in Canada for a couple of months while the Newsboy Home gets rebuilt. I mean, how much longer was Mrs. Cook gonna let all us boys bunk out at Bottle Alley? Especially when we have somewhere else to stay for cheap fare?

"I know you're right, Jack. And I know I should just be happy that we have pals up there to help us out, but it's gonna be so new. And I just can't stop thinking about all that we left behind." Stress shivered. It may have been a warm autumn night but the cold of the train was seeping through her thin off-white blouse.

Jack felt her shiver and began to rub her arms with his hands. "Don't worry, Stress. Everything'll be alright, you'll see." Words were all that he had to try to comfort the girl. He knew it was of no use but he told her not to worry all the same.

Stress leaned back in his embrace, feeling warmer at his continual touch, before her thoughts turned to that night. _The fire_. It had happened almost a month ago now; it had been about two weeks after the famed strike, maybe three.

_"Cowboy? Cowboy, where the hell are ya?" Amidst the catcalls and ruckus, a small voice called through Irving Hall. It continued to be heard until one boy in particular answered. _Jack.

_He stood up and looked for the origin of the voice. "Snipes, is that you?" Hurriedly leaving his seat, Jack rushed to the side of the young newsboy. Stress watched as he went before climbing out of her own chair. She followed him close behind, stopping only when she saw Jack bent down beside Snipeshooter. _

_"Cowboy, listen. Something happened down the the loding house tonight. It… ya see.. it…" Snipes panted. He had ran all the way from the lodging house to Irving Hall; he was tired now and, along with the excitement of what had happened, he found it much harder to speak. He was huddled over, clutching a stitch in his side._

_"Snipes, what happened?" Stress intercepted, kneeling down to look him in the eye. She patted him on the back, comfortingly, eagerly waiting for him to catch his breath._

_He glanced over at Stress and nodded before calming down enough to speak. "Cowboy, there's been a fire an—"_

_"A fire?" interrupted Jack. He straightened his stance and nervously ran his newsprint stained hand through his thick brain hair. "Is everyone alright? Is anyone hurt?" _

_Snipes shook his head. "No one got hurt because they all got out in time. There was only three of us in there when it happened: me, Kloppy and Boots. But that ain't the problem, Cowboy. The lodging house – it's gone."_

And so it was. "Gone," Stress sighed to herself. With one lit cigar left unintended, the lodging house was gone.

_"Iris, Dice, I'm sorry but I can't just leave New York. I just can't. I hope you girls understand…" Her voice faltered as she was saying goodbyes. Facing her two friends as they readied themselves to catch the 5:15 to Niagara Falls, Stress found it very hard to see them off. _

_"Stress, don't worry. We understand and I hope to see you an' Jack soon." Iris removed her glasses and wiped tears out of her brown eyes as she smiled sadly at her fellow newsie. Now that the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House was gone, a few of the newsies were heading to a place to stay until it was rebuilt. When Iris mentioned that she and Dice used to be a part of a lodging house up in Canada that had more than enough room for them all, Rac, Mush, Blink, Dutchy, Spot and Skittery all decided to head there for awhile. _

_But Stress refused to go, instead insisting that she and Jack stay together in New York at the Bottle Alley Lodging House._ _It was lonely, though, for both Jack and Stress, to be left behind in New York. After many hushed discussions under the moonlight, Jack finally convinced Stress to meet up with the rest of their friends at the--the--_

"Jack?" murmured Stress, tilting her head back so that she could see his face..

"Mm-hmm…" He replied, playing with one of her stray curls. The motion of the train underneath was calming. If he ignored the reasons behind this ride he could almost imagine that he was heading off West instead of North.

"What's the name of the place that we're supposed to stay at when we get there?"

"Oh," he said, trying to remember what it was Iris had called the place in the letter she sent to the Bottle Alley Home. "I think it was called the Rainbow Bridge Lodgine House, or something like th— what?" Jack asked, interrupting his own sentence, when he heard her giggle.

"Nothing," she answered, though she continued to laugh quietly to herself. "It's just that I wonder what's at the end of the bridge then. A pot of gold, maybe? My pa always told me that there was a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow." Jack listened to her ramble and hid a smile in her hair. It was obvious to him that Stress was getting tired after riding the train for hours; she always got silly when she was tired.

"Whatever ya say, Stressie."

- - -

"Stress, Stress? Wake up, Stressie. C'mon, atta girl. I think we're here now. We gotta go." Jack whispered softly into her ear as he gently shook her awake.

"Hmm? What? Oh, it's just you, Jack." She sat up and stretched her arms out. "Are we in Canada yet?"

Jack prodded her in the back while wearing an amused grin. "Did you just ignore me or what? Now, hurry before one of these train conductors finds us." Jack picked up his bag and shouldered it. Then, grabbing Stress' bag in his left hand and Stress' hand in his right, he clambered out of the car. She followed daintily behind him.

Stopping briefly to make sure that no one was witnessing their escape from the train yards, he ran ahead to join a passing crowd, dragging Stress behind him.

Once the crowd passed, the pair of them found that they were standing on a street facing a large bridge. "I wonder if that there Bridge is the Rainbow Bridge?" Stress murmured as she held tightly to Jack's hand.

His only response was to increase the pressure of his grip on her hand.

"Did I just hear someone mention the Rainbow Bridge?"

They turned around abruptly. Both of them had heard the voice and looked to see who it was that was addressing them. There, leaning against a nearby building, stood a boy, maybe a year or two older than them. He was tall, just shy of six feet, with dark brown hair and grey eyes. He was wearing a faded blue shirt with black pants; they were shorter than one would normally wear and revealed sock-less feet and cracked dark boots, due to his height. He wore a black cap on top of his head, though he kept it tilted towards the left to make him appear cock-eyed. By his appearance, and self-assured nature, Stress decided he must be a newsie – _or, at least, the Canadian version of one._ Figuring that he'd probably be one to know where the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House was, Stress opened her mouth to ask him.

"Yeah, we did. Why? Ya heard of it?" Jack cut in, stepping forward and speaking to the boy. Stress shut her mouth and turned her head to glare at Jack. She didn't appreciate being cut off.

The boy continued to lean against the wall; the only parts of his body that were moving were his eyes and his smirk. "I think the little lady had something she wanted to say," he observed, noting the face Stress was making.

Jack ignored the comment, and Stress' murderous expression, instead choosing to repeat his question. "Have ya heard of it?"

The boy lost his smirk in favor of an amused smile. "I guess you could say that. It just so happens that a bunch of my friends live there." He stood up straight and walked over to them before pausing directly in front of Stress. "The name is Riley. Riley Dugan. And yours is?" he asked, his grey eyes shining.

Jack stepped in front of Stress and scowled. He didn't even try to hide his dislike. "Well, my name is Cowboy and this is my _girl_, Stress," he answered before removing his hands fro her grasp. He casually slung his arm over her shoulder before sneaking a peak at her face. Judging by the red tint in her cheeks, he knew that Riley's attention wasn't lost on her.

Riley didn't even flinch. His grin grew wider instead. "Nice to meet you, Stress, Cowboy. Like I was saying, a bunch of my friends live over the Bridge at the nearby lodging house. Just so happens that I was on my way to visit them. If that's where the two of you are heading, I'd be more than happy to lead the way. Eh? What do you say?"

Jack opened his mouth to decline Riley's offer. He didn't even get the chance before Stress jumped in.

"That would be great," Stress answered, before stepping out from under Jack's arm. His arm had gone tense and was weighing down on shoulder.

"Great." Riley grinned at the two of them. He raised his eyebrow as he watched Stress step away from Jack, eager to follow him to the House.

"Great," muttered Jack as he let his arm fall down to his side.


	2. NERVOUSNESS & AGITATION

**Summary**; Written for the RBLH (_RAINBOW_ _BRIDGE_ _LODGING HOUSE_; WWW . GEOCITIES . COM / INSTITUEOFGRACE). After a disastrous fire sends Jack & Stress up to Rainbow Bridge, a cocky Canadian tries to put himself between the pair. Will it take whatever's at the end of the rainbow to keep them together? It just might.

**Disclaimer**; I do not own, nor stake any claim, to any of the original newsboy characters -- they are the property of Disney. The main characters Stress and Riley belong to me. Any other character, when noted, is property of their respective owner. The Rainbow Bridge Lodging House belongs to Dice & Iris.

**Originally Posted**: 08.01.02 – 08.05.02

**Rewritten**: 05.08.06

--

II. NERVOUSNESS & AGITATION

"Here we are," Riley announced as he pointed to a quaint building standing next door to a small restaurant.

Excitement lit up Stress' golden eyes. "This is so great! I haven't seen Iris or Dice or any of the other fellas since that damn fire," she exclaimed before rushing forward to ring the doorbell.

As he watched her run forward, Riley let out a small whistle of appreciation.

"Excuse me?" asked Jack. Before he could realize what he was doing, he had put out his hand in order to stop Riley from following Stress up the walk.

Riley looked confused at first but traded his surprise for another of his cocky grins. "You sure got yourself a looker there, Cowboy." Riley let out another whistle. "What I wouldn't give for a girl like that."

Ignoring the fact that there was about a four inch difference between their heights, Jack stood in front of Riley and glared. "Yeah, well you can't have that one. That's my girl over there and I want you to remember that, Riley."

The other boy held up his hands and chuckled. "No problem, Cowboy. I ain't about to steal another guy's girl," he promised. _But that doesn't mean that I won't say yes if she comes to me first_, he thought smugly to himself.

Jack nodded. He, of course, couldn't hear Riley's thoughts; all he had was the Canadian's word. And he wasn't thick enough to fall for that. "I don't trust that kid at all" Jack muttered before leaving Riley alone by wandering over to where Stress, Iris and Dice were having a laughter-filled reunion.

"I can't believe we're all together again," cried Dice as she threw her arms around Stress.

Stress hugged her back and smiled. "I know. What's been happening since you all left? Are you and Race still together up here?"

"Of course," Dice answered, the laughter creasing her tanned face. "It's weird and all but all of the boys have been here, they have all found themselves a girl but Skittery. But you know what he's like. All glum an' dumb as usual."

"Ooh, really? Who are these lucky gals and when do I get to meet them all?" Stress' golden eyes flashed mischievously as she gossiped with Dice.

Dice held up one of her hands and began to tick off names with each finger. "Well, Mush is with one of my old pals, Candy. Blink and Lucky decided to try it again after they both arrived here and Dutchy fell for Bailey. And I know for a fact that a couple of the girls have their eyes on good old Skitts but, like I said, all glum and dumb as usual."

"As usual," laughed Stress as she followed Dice inside the door, eager to see more familiar faces.

"Iris?" called Jack to the girl with glasses that was about to follow Dice and Stress indoors.

"Jack! It's good to see you," she replied, waiting for him on the front porch of the building. "How was the train ride up here?"

He shook his hand as if to wave away her question. "Listen, Iris, can I ask you a question?"

She shrugged. "Sure, Cowboy. Ask away."

"What do ya know 'bout dis kid named Riley?" he asked, and looked nervously back to where he had last seen the boy. He was no longer standing there.

"Riley? How do you know Riley already? Didn't you two just arrive here today?" Iris sat down on the first step. She hadn't seen that he had accompanied Stress and Jack to the lodging house so she was a little bit puzzled.

Jack removed his cowboy hat from his head and tossed it onto the step next to Iris. He took a seat next to his hat. "Now, don't think that I'm all jealous or nothing, but I think he's trying to make a play for Stress. I mean, we had just left the train yards and were walking down some street. He was standing there and overheard us talking before he offered to show us to this House. But, I tell ya, he was a bit too friendly for my sake.

Playing with one of her long braids, Iris almost laughed off Jack's concerns. "I wouldn't worry about Riley Dugen if I were you, Cowboy. That boy's a lot of words but hardly any action. He'll get bored with her in a few days and I highly doubt that anything will ever happen between them. Besides, this is Stress we're talking about. That girl is crazy about you – she don't need Riley."

"Yeah, well, you may not have to worry about Riley, Jacky-Boy, but if you keep sitting next to my girl there, I'm gonna have to soak you." He recognized the voice before he saw the scrawny young man with the brilliant eyes exit from the front door. _Spot Conlon._ The boy stood to the other side of Iris and smiled down at Jack.

He rose to his feet, a forced smile coming to his face to mirror Spot's, as he spit in his hand and extended it. "Long time, no see, eh, Brooklyn?"

"Whatever you say, Jacky." Spot spit into his own hand and shook with Jack. "What's wrong?" he asked, noting the dazed expression on Jack's face.

Jack stopped thinking about Iris' words for a moment and forced another grin to his face. Hopefully this one would stay. "Nothing, Spot." _Nothing except that there may be some new kid that's trying to hit it off with my girl, _he thought to himself, not being able to shake the uneasy feeling that had overcome him since meeting Riley that morning.

Spot smirked before clapping the other boy on his back. "Good."

- - -

In a way, Iris was right. Riley did use words and he used a lot of them. All of them describing how pretty and perfect and nice and sweet and amazing Jack's girl was.

But in a way, Iris was wrong. It had been three weeks already, and, if anything, Riley was growing more fond of Stress instead of growing tired with her.

Meanwhile, Jack was battling his insecurities every day. As he watched Riley joke around with his girl in the poker room of the lodging house, a place that Riley had taken to haunting before returning to the boys' house where he bunked, Jack couldn't help but feel left out, ignored and jealous. And, no matter how many times Stress would hug him, kiss him and reassure him that she was just friends with Riley, Jack couldn't ignore his feelings. Yet, he decided to keep his mouth shut in the off-chance of offending Stress. The last thing he needed was to establish any seeds of doubt in his relationship with her.

He had already tried once to speak with her, about a week into their stay. And the outcome of that conversation was almost disastrous…

_"Stress can I talk to you...alone?" Jack added pointedly, staring straight at Riley as he dealt Stress out a hand of cards. The older boy didn't even look up from his game._

_"Riley, I'll be right back. No cheating, alright?" Stress got up from the poker table and walked out of the room with Jack. When she reached the front porch with him, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him gently on the cheek. _

_"Jack, is something wrong?" she asked when he pulled away from her._

_He sighed and looked down at her. "I'm a little nervous, Stress. Me and you have been here a week and all you've been doing is spending your days with Riley."_

_"Yeah, but I'm spending my nights with you now, ain't I Cowboy?" Stress said as she smiled coyly. There were many bunks in the Rainbow Bridge House but the House itself was co-ed; the pair of them had been sleeping much closer lately._

"_Stress, this is serious. I wanna know what's going on between you and him." Jack placed his hand on her shoulder and looked down into her eyes._

_Stress backed away from him and scowled, refusing to meet his gaze. "Jack, I thought you knew me better than that. Riley's just becoming one of my new friends up here, that's all. You're spending all your time with Spot and Race and them, so I need some company. Iris, Dice, and the others – they all got real friends here. Don't I deserve a friend, too?"_

_Jack looked down and felt guilty for worrying. "Of course, Stress. I trust you, and I'm sorry that I brought it up But I'll tell you now, I don't trust that Riley. He looks at you just the way that Race looks at Dice or Spot looks at Iris or—"_

_"Or the way that I look at you, eh, Jack?" Stress threw her arms around Jack and hugged him tight. She lifted her head back and invited him to kiss her. He did. When they broke apart, catching their breath slightly, she smiled. "I love you Jack, not Riley. I want you to remember that."_

But it was kind of hard for Jack to do that when the only person he ever saw her with was Riley.

On the one month anniversary of their arriving at the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House, he decided to have a talk with her again. _I just need to ask her about Riley again, one more time. You know when she's lying to you, right? And, if she is cheating on you, wouldn't you rather hear it straight instead of having to worry about it?_ When he finally had talked himself into confronting her, he headed straight for the girls' bunkroom on the second floor.

"Stress?" he called, gravely, as he walked through the open door. But, after entering, he saw that, while there were four girls sitting around the bunkroom, none of them were Stress. He turned his gaze on the person closest to him, a petite girl with shocking red hair and crystal blue eyes. "Puck? Have you seen Stress?"

When the girl shook her head, Jack faced the blonde sitting next to her. "How about you, Bailey?"

Another no.

"Candy? Do you know where she is?"

Nope.

"Hazel?" Jack looked at her questioningly. When the younger girl didn't answer, Jack peered straight into her namesake, her hazel eyes. "Hazel, have ya seen Stress?"

"Yeah, Cowboy."

Jack waited for a second to see if she would see anymore before asking her another question. "Would you care to tell me where?"

"Sure. I just saw her downstairs with Riley. The two of them had gone into the library, shutting the door behind them. I thought that they were going to go read some stuff so I left them alone and came upstairs instead."

He covered his face with his hands. "The library? With a shut door? You've got to be kidding me," he said, more to himself than to the girls. He shook his head and, without pausing to say goodbye, hurried out of the room before thundering down the steps. He had one destination in mind: the library.

When he arrived at the entrance to the library of the lodging house he was not surprised, only disappointed, to see that Hazel was right. The door was shut tight.

"I wonder if I should knock on the door," he murmured, hand frozen on the doorknob. But he found that he could not move his hand from the knob. Taking a second to compose himself, preparing himself for what he _might_ find on the other side of the door, Jack quietly eased it open.

And swiftly shut it after he witnessed the scene taking place inside the bunkroom. "Goddammit," he hissed, backing away from the door as if it had burned him. He continued to walk backwards until he bumped into the front door of the house. He felt behind him for the door handle and fumbled until the door was open. Then he turned around and ran out of the House. He didn't trust himself to be in the same building as the two of them at that moment.


	3. EMBARASSMENT & ANGER

**Summary**; Written for the RBLH (_RAINBOW_ _BRIDGE_ _LODGING HOUSE_; WWW . GEOCITIES . COM / INSTITUEOFGRACE). After a disastrous fire sends Jack & Stress up to Rainbow Bridge, a cocky Canadian tries to put himself between the pair. Will it take whatever's at the end of the rainbow to keep them together? It just might.

**Disclaimer**; I do not own, nor stake any claim, to any of the original newsboy characters -- they are the property of Disney. The main characters Stress and Riley belong to me. Any other character, when noted, is property of their respective owner. The Rainbow Bridge Lodging House belongs to Dice & Iris.

**Originally Posted**: 08.01.02 – 08.05.02

**Rewritten**: 05.08.06

--

III EMBARASSMENT & ANGER

"So, Riley, what is it that you wanted to show me?" Stress asked as she followed Riley into the secluded library. She was surprised to see that they were alone and there were only a handful of candles lit.

He waited until she was inside before he slammed the door shut behind them. "Nothing really, Stress. It's just that I wanted to have a little chat with you and you know how the poker room gets. It's always so crowded and noisy this time of day." Riley shrugged and shot Stress one of his winning smiles.

"Umm— Sure, whatever you say, Riley." Stress walked to one of the faded leather chairs that furnished the bunkroom and sat down. She made sure to choose one next to a pair of flickering flames. She could see Riley better that way. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, you see, this is the deal. I like you, Stress," he said as he slowly sauntered over to the seat she had occupied. He placed one of his hands on each of her arm rests, effectively trapping her in her seat. The flames danced in his grey eyes and he looked slightly disturbed.

Stress looked up at Riley, her face contorted into a puzzled expression. He was making her nervous. "I like you too, Riley," she said simply.

Riley's grey eyes shined and his thin lips twisted into a grin. "Really?"

"Really. You're a great pal." Misunderstanding what he had meant, Stress smiled back and gestured for him to back up so she could get up. He didn't move.

"Pals? Is that all we are? Pals?" His shoulders slumped though his hold on her chair remained. His head dropped down onto his chest. He wasn't expecting her to say that.

"Of course, what did you think?" Stress sat back into the chair when he lifted his head. She saw the hurt expression on his face and suddenly realized exactly what he had though. "Ohhh...I see..." she murmured as she began to blush bright red.

"Yeah, I think you understand what I meant, eh?" Riley ran his hand through his thick dark brown hair as he contemplated his next move. _Why not,_ he thought to himself before leaning in and kissing her on the lips. She never even had the chance to move.

Both of them were so pre-occupied, Riley focused on keeping her under him embrace while Stress struggled to break free from his touch, that when the door creaked open and shut shortly after, neither one of them noticed.

Finally, though, she was able to back away from Riley. She almost tipped the chair over backwards in her haste to distance herself from him. "Riley—" she began but was cut off almost immediately.

"Tell me now, Stress. Tell me that we're just friends and nothing more. Tell me that that kiss meant nothing to you," he whispered, towering over Stress as she tried to sink deeper into the leather chair.

Stress looked up at the figure looming over her and felt a twinge of sympathy despite the way he had just forced himself upon her. "I'm sorry, Riley, really. I hate to do this to you and all because I really do like you, but I don't feel the same way about you that you seem to feel about me. My heart belongs to Jack."

Riley scoffed as he turned his back on her and took a few steps away before spinning on his heels. "Cowboy? You still have feelings for that sorry excuse of a cowboy? How can you like him better than me? Just tell me that and, I swear, I'll never bring it up again."

She took the opportunity to climb out of the chair before walking towards him. She did, though, keep a few steps between them in case he got too close again. "I just can't explain it like that, Riley. I've known Jack for almost four years now and there is this bond between us, you know. We've been through so much together and now, now that we are finally a couple, I don't wanna lose him. I…I love him, Riley." Stress blushed as she turned her head away. She wasn't one to go around spouting her feelings as if she were a fountain, but that's exactly what she had done. and why? _Because I feel sorry for him, that's why. How did I miss all the signals that he gave me? Dammit, even Jack knew! _She watched him pace back and forth throughout the bunkroom, pacing in silence. _I could have prevented all of this if I had just opened my damn eyes._

"I understand, Stress. I guess I have to," Riley answered after a moment. He stopped pacing and looked over at her. Even in the dim lighting she could see him staring at her with a wistful expression on his face. "And I'm happy for you and Cowboy. I just hope he feels the same way..." Riley said before he nodded once and walked to the library door. "For your sake, I hope that he feels the same way..." he added before turning to leave the library.

"I wonder what he means by that?" Stress asked herself before realizing that she was now alone. She shook her head. "Screw it, I'm just going to bed. I can't think about this now."

- - -

Jack stalked off into the night, anger fueling his steps. "What does that kid think he's doing? She's my girl, not his," he grunted as he flung himself down onto a bench outside of the lodging house. Once he was sitting on the wood, he began to strike at it with a fist, imagining that, with ever splinter of wood that broke off, it was Riley he was breaking.

"Hey, Jacky-Boy. What did that bench ever do to you?" Spot asked with a smirk as he, along with Iris, Dice and Race, strolled over to where Jack was fighting with his bench. It was only when he had placed a hand on Jack's shoulder that the older boy lifted his head.

"You don't understand, Spot," Jack huffed as he continued to take his anger out on the bench. Then, with a final blow, he broke one of the wooden panels of the bench. "Take that, Riley!"

"Riley? Who's Riley?" asked Race as he lit his cigar and slung his arm over Dice's shoulder.

"You know who he is, Race. Remember? He's that kid who showed you where the tracks up here were," Dice reminded him as she snuggled up close to him.

"Oh yeah. I like that guy," Race commented but flinched when he saw Jack's expression. "I mean, I _did_ like that guy but now he's nothing but scum."

"Damn, right! He ain't nothing but a lowlife girl-snatcher," spat Jack, turning his back on the pair of couples. Right at that moment he couldn't stomach watching the happy two-some's considering how miserable her felt.

Iris ducked out from under Spot's arm and walked forward. "Cowboy," she said calmly, putting her hand on his shoulder "is there something you wanna tell us?"

Jack slumped his shoulders and turned back around. "Stress and Riley," he stated simply before turning back around again.

Race scratched his head as Spot and Iris exchanged a questioning look. "Yeah, and what about Stress and Riley?" Dice prompted.

"Just Stress an' Riley. That's all."

"Jacky-Boy, sorry to burst your bubble and all, but I just don't get what your trying to say. Now, if you want us to understand why you just soaked that bench, you better open your trap and start talking," drawled Spot as he tucked his walking cane back into his suspenders and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Oh, Spot, can I just say how sensitive you are," Jack sighed and squatted down. He left the bench and, picking up pebbles out of the dirt, began to throw them back at the ground.

"Hey Jack, Spot's right. We can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong." Race took one last drag of his cigar before tossing it at Jack's feet.

Jack straightened up and glared down at the head-shorter boy. "Ya wanna know what's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong. I just walked in on my girl kissing another guy, that's what's wrong."

"Oh," Race muttered.

Dice smacked Race on the arm. "Shut it, Race. It ain't the time for your comments."

"At least it wasn't one of my pals that's cheating on his girl," Race retorted.

Dice stood there, her jaw dropped, mouth wide open. Iris took the opportunity to step in and defend her friend. "Hey Race, watch what you're saying there."

While Race started to argue with Iris, Spot took Jack by his arm and led him a few feet away. "Jack, are you sure?" he muttered.

Jack nodded. "I'm definitely sure, Spot. It may have been dark in that library, but he was kissing her alright."

"What are ya gonna do, Jacky?" Spot asked, his eyes dancing as he looked over Jack's shoulder to see Race be yelled at by both Iris and Dice.

Jack shrugged. "I'm gonna have myself a nice little chat with Riley tomorrow, that's what I'm gonna do."

Spot turned around so that he was facing Jack. "What about Stress? Does she know what ya saw?"

"I dunno, but I hope not. I just wanna have things go back to normal, y'know?"

Spot looked back at bickering trio and chuckled when he saw Iris scowling at Race and Dice, who were embracing in the middle of the road. "Or at least as normal as it ever gets, eh, Cowboy?"

- - -

Later, when Iris and Dice finally returned from their evenings out with Spot and Race, they were disappointed to find that Stress had already turned in for the night.

"Damn, I really wanted to talk to her about Riley," mumbled Dice as she changed into her nightclothes.

Iris nodded in agreement. "Do ya think dat she's really cheating on Cowboy with Riley?" she asked as she climbed into her bunk and blew out the candle on her nightstand.

"Let me put it this way, Iris. We knew Stress and Jack for awhile when we was living in New York and I've never see a couple that was more in love. If she decided to drop him for a punk like Riley, I hate to see what's gonna happen with me and Race, you know?"

"Dice, don't even think like that," warned Iris. Not like it did any good, though; Iris had already given the same topic a good deal of thought. And she continued to do so throughout that night. _I don't buy that_, she thought, unable to fall asleep, _love is made of stronger stuff than that…_


	4. DISHONESTY

**Summary**; Written for the RBLH (_RAINBOW_ _BRIDGE_ _LODGING HOUSE_; WWW . GEOCITIES . COM / INSTITUEOFGRACE). After a disastrous fire sends Jack & Stress up to Rainbow Bridge, a cocky Canadian tries to put himself between the pair. Will it take whatever's at the end of the rainbow to keep them together? It just might.

**Disclaimer**; I do not own, nor stake any claim, to any of the original newsboy characters -- they are the property of Disney. The main characters Stress and Riley belong to me. Any other character, when noted, is property of their respective owner. The Rainbow Bridge Lodging House belongs to Dice & Iris.

**Originally Posted**: 08.01.02 – 08.05.02

**Rewritten**: 05.08.06

--

IV. DISHONESTY

Before any of the other boys in the lodging house had woken up for the day, Riley strolled through the door. "Morning fellas."

"Morning? It's morning already?" Jack mumbled before realizing who it was that was waking him up. His eyes jerked open and he lifted his head from his pillow. "Riley?"

Riley crossed the room and opened the blinds, letting the rising sun fill the bunkroom with light. "That would be me."

"Oh boy..." murmured Race as he ducked his head under his pillow. He wasn't sure if he was hiding from the rising sun or the imminent fight between the two boys.

Jack sat up in his bunk and reached for his shirt. "Riley, it's good to see you. Actually, I'd say it's great to see you. I've been wanting to talk to you. Would you mind heading out with me while I sell some papers this morning?"

Riley's smile grew three times as wide. "That's just what I wanted to hear, Cowboy."

- - -

"Stress, can we talk to you for a minute?" asked Iris as she, Stress and Dice left the distribution center later that morning.

"Sure, no problem, girls. What do you want to talk about?" Stress asked distractedly, anxiously keeping her eyes open in search of Jack. Before falling asleep the night before, she had decided to come clean and tell Jack exactly what had happened between her and Riley. "If he loves me, he'll believe me, right?" she wondered, not paying attention to where she was going.

"Stress?" Dice tapped her on the shoulder, knocking her out off her stupor.

"Huh— what? Did you just say something, Dice?" Stress rubbed her eyes and tried to stay focus.

Dice and Iris exchanged a look before leading Stress down the street. "I just thought we might wanna find a place to talk for a few moments," Dice explained, walking into a nearby park, and setting her stack of papers atop a pile of fallen leaves. She took a seat beside them before gesturing to Iris and Stress to do the same.

"Works for me," agreed Iris as she sank down next to Dice. Stress shrugged and joined the two on the ground.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Stress repeated, brushing her long curls out of her face.

Iris opened her mouth to speak but paused abruptly when she heard a familiar voice discussing the exact subject that she and Dice were trying to bring up.

"So, Riley, let me ask you a question. What do you think of Stress? You know, my girl?" From behind the large oak tree in the middle of the park, the three girls heard Jack's voice clearly.

"What the—" whispered Stress before being hushed by Iris.

Iris held up one finger to her mouth. "I wanna hear this," she hissed. Stress nodded. She did too..

The three of them sat in silence, then, as they listened to an interesting conversation unfold between Jack and Riley.

- - -

After he finished getting dressed and washed up, Jack walked with Riley down to the distribution center. The two of them bought a small stack of papers each and, without a word spoken between them, began to walk towards the park, both thinking that it would be a great place to sell and, of course, have a private discussion.

When they reached the closest park near the center, Jack sat his papers down next to an old oak tree. Taking a deep breath, steadying himself in case he didn't like Riley's answers to his questions, Jack spoke. " So, Riley, let me ask you a question. What do you think of Stress? You know, my girl?"

Riley set his papers down next to Jack's and smiled. "Why do ya ask that, Cowboy?"

"Well, cause, I kinda saw something yesterday that might tell me that you think very highly of her, if ya understand what I'm saying."

Riley pretended to gasp in surprise as he brought his hands up to cover his face in surprise. "Oh no, Cowboy, you didn't see the two of us up in the sickroom yesterday, did you?"

"What?" Jack asked, sticking his hands in his pocket to keep them from wrapping around Riley's skinny neck. "I saw you and her together in the library but I didn't know nothing about you being in the sickroom with her." He was shaking by the time he finished his sentence; it was taking every ounce of self-control he had to keep his composure.

"Never mind then, Cowboy," Riley answered quickly. He took a step away and bent down to pick up his papers before he began to head away from Jack

But Jack wasn't ready for him to go just yet. Drawing his hands from his pockets, he reached for Riley's arm. "I don't think so, pal. I want you to tell me what's going on and now." He pulled on Riley's arm until the two of them were facing each other.

Riley smiled an inner grin. _It's working just as well as I thought_, he noted, before looking in mock remorse at the shorter boy. "I know that this is going to be hard to hear, but I hope you understand. Ya see, me and Stress are together now. We, uh, sealed it last night while you were out. And man, is she a tiger."

The words echoed around Jack's mind as he listened to the taunts about Stress. "You're a liar," he said in a low voice, squeezing Riley's arm for emphasis.

Riley grinned an insufferable giin. "Oh, am I?"

Jack took one look at the expression on his opponent's face and couldn't control himself any longer. "You ass," he snapped as he swung his fist upwards, meeting Riley right in the eye.

Riley staggered as he took Jack's blow. In his anger Jack had dropped his hold on Riley's arm so he was able to back away. But, oddly enough, he didn't retaliate. At least he didn't retaliate with his fist; instead, Riley used words. "That's alright," he answered, rubbing his eye with his hand. "I expected that to be your reaction. No wonder Stress told me last night that you were too rough with her. Of course, stupid me, I thought she meant in the bedroom. I never would have guessed you would smack a girl around, Cowboy."

Jack flinched as if the words were cutting deeper than any knife would. _Is that what Stress is telling people?_

Riley took that moment to throw one more insult Jack's way. "Well, Cowboy, I'd love to stay and chat with you, but Stress is probably getting lonely without me."

Jack stared in horror as he watched Riley strut away as if he had the entire world in his pocket. _He does_, Jack murmured, picking up his papers and preparing to head back to the lodging house. _Or at least, he has _my _world in his pocket. Or better yet, his pants._

- - -

"Stress, are you alright?" whispered Dice as she gently shook Stress' shoulder. It had been a good ten minutes since they had overheard Jack and Riley's conversation and Stress had yet to utter one word.

"I…I…I…." she began, stuttering uncontrollably, the severity of her anger keeping her from speaking straight. "I mean, what the hell just happened here?"

Iris shook her head, her brown braids swinging from side to side. "I dunno, Stress. But it sounded like—"

"I know exactly what it sounded like, Iris. It sounded like Riley just told Jack about a whole lot of stuff." Stress dropped her head into her hands and groaned. "Why me?"

"Uhh? Question? You didn't actually do any of that stuff that Riley said, right?" Dice asked, uncertainly.

"Of course not. I love Jack and I would never do nothing like that behind his back," she cried through her hands. "Especially not with a creep like Riley."

"Well, you better tell Jack that before he gets the wrong idea," stated Iris.

Stress slowly brought herself to her feet. "You know what, girls. I think you've got the right idea. After listening to Riley's lies, he's gonna wanna hear the truth." Stress handed her papers to Iris. "Here, you two can split my papes. I'm gonna go back to the lodging house to find Jack."

Dice and Iris watched as Stress quickly made her way out of the park. "I just hope that Jack listens to what she has to say," muttered Iris.

Dice nodded. "Yeah. I mean, after all that jazz that Riley told him, I wouldn't be surprised if Jack just plum ignored her."


	5. DEFEAT

**Summary**; Written for the RBLH (_RAINBOW_ _BRIDGE_ _LODGING HOUSE_; WWW . GEOCITIES . COM / INSTITUEOFGRACE). After a disastrous fire sends Jack & Stress up to Rainbow Bridge, a cocky Canadian tries to put himself between the pair. Will it take whatever's at the end of the rainbow to keep them together? It just might.

**Disclaimer**; I do not own, nor stake any claim, to any of the original newsboy characters -- they are the property of Disney. The main characters Stress and Riley belong to me. Any other character, when noted, is property of their respective owner. The Rainbow Bridge Lodging House belongs to Dice & Iris.

**Originally Posted**: 08.01.02 – 08.05.02

**Rewritten**: 05.08.06

--

V. DEFEAT

Jack stormed through the entrance of the lodging house, interrupting Rae, Lucky and Puck's mid-morning chat in the lobby.

"Watch where you're going, Kelly," hollered Rae as he made his way pass the three girls.

"Rae, I ain't in the mood for your lip right now," he snapped, pausing only long enough to spit out his answer before continuing to the boys' bunkroom on the third floor.

The trio stared after him as he exited the lobby, stomping up the stairs. "I just don't know what Stress sees in him," Rae announced with a scowl on her face. Lucky and Puck took one look at the annoyed expression on Rae's face and nodded before returning to their discussion.

Meanwhile, Jack raced into the room, ignoring the puzzled looks that TB and Chump were shooting him.

"Uh, Cowboy? Why do you have your bag out?" asked TB, pointing to the cloth bag sitting on Jack's bunk.

"And why are you putting all of your stuff into that bag?" added Chump.

Jack finished packing his things and sent the two boys an impatient look each. They really were quite slow sometimes. "Listen, since you two are the only ones in the bunkroom right now who I'll get to say goodbye to, I need you to do me a favor," he said as he shouldered his bag. He would have preferred it if Skittery or Dutchy had remained behind – they, at least, could be trusted with a message – but he had to work with what he had.

"What do you mean 'goodbye'? Where are you going, Cowboy?" Chump scratched his head in confusion. TB looked ever more confused. His mouth was hung open and he staring at the stuffed bag.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Perfect_. "Just, when Stress comes back here later, I need you to tell her that I hope her and Riley are happy and I'd like it if she would look me up next time she's in Manhattan. Ya got that, fellas?" Jack waited until both Teddy Bear and Chump nodded before pulling his dusty cowboy hat onto his head. "Good. I gotta train to hitch a ride on now, so I can't waste me time on long goodbyes. I guess I'll just say see you later."

As Teddy Bear and Chump just stared at Jack, their mouths still hanging ridiculously open, Jack walked out of the boys' bunkroom of the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House for the last time. Without a second look, he continued to run back down the two flights of stairs before barging back through the lobby (ignoring the heated looks the three girls were sending him) and walking out of the door. "Next stop, good old Manhattan," he said to himself, pushing away the pangs of guilt he felt at not telling any of his old friends that he was returning home. "They wouldn't understand," he told himself as he began to head towards the train yards, "They wouldn't understand why I had to leave…"

- - -

Puck looked up as she heard another figure run into the lodging house. But instead of it being Jack, like it was about a half-hour earlier, it was now Stress. Puck poked Rae in the arm and pointing at the frantic way that Stress had entered the lodging house. "Hey, Rae. I wonder what's up with her?"

Rae moved her long blonde braid out of her face and looked up at her. "Stress, are you alright?"

Stress paused for a second and looked at the girls. "Rae, Puck, Lucky… Have any of you guys seen Jack today since we all left to sell papes?"

"Yeah, he ran in here before just like you're doing now, visited the boys' bunks to get his bag and then left. That was about a half an hour ago or so," Lucky answered.

Stress didn't even stop to thank Lucky for her information; instead she ran straight upstairs to the boys' bunkroom to see if anyone up there knew where Jack was heading.

"Hey there, Stress. How are ya?" asked Chump when he saw Stress enter the bunkroom.

"Fellas, was Jack here earlier?" she asked, leaning against the door and panting from the short sprint she had just ran.

The pair of boys looked at each other for a moment before TB answered her. "Um, yeah. He actually had a message for you. He wanted us to tell you that he hopes you and Riley are happy and that the next time you go down to Manhattan, visit him. He also said that he didn't have time for a long goodbye because he had a train that he wanted to hitch a ride on," TB recited, hoping he got the message right.

Stress paled and gripped the door frame tighter, this time in support. "But that must mean that he's leaving."

Chump nodded slowly. "Didn't you know, Stress? I thought he would have told you, at least. But, then again, if you dumped him for Riley, I understand why he might keep it a secret."

But Stress didn't respond to Chump's – for once – accurate observation. By the time Chump had finished his sentence Stress had already run from the bunkroom.

- - -

"Stress!"

She stopped running for a second and felt her cheeks flush with anger when she saw Riley running towards her. "What do you want, Riley?" she asked impatiently. She had no time for his games; she needed to stop Jack from leaving.

He approached Stress and smiled once he got close enough to her. "How's my favorite New Yorker today?"

Stress found she had to fight back a small chuckle when she spied the black eye that Jack had given him earlier. "I'm fine Riley, but you've looked better. What the hell happened?"

Riley grinned to himself. _And now to play on her sympathies_, he thought before adopting a forlorn face. "I didn't wanna be the one to tell you this, but felt it should at least be me. You see, I talked to Cowboy this morning."

"Yes?" prompted Stress. She was betting that nothing Riley would say next would be in any way close to what she had overheard while in the park.

She was right.

"Well, ya see, I found out that Jack has been seeing Rae on the side so I tried to save you from the hurt by confronting him for you. And, as you can see, this is the way he took it out on me." Riley accented his statement by pointing to his black eye.

Stress couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did he really think that she was _that_ stupid? Even when Jack was living in Manhattan and would visit Spot in Brooklyn, he and Rae Kelly _never_ got along. And their relationship sure hadn't changed one bit since Stress and Jack had arrived at the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House.

After debating real quickly whether or not she should call Riley on his lies, Stress decided to go for it. "Riley, is that so? Because, you know, I thought you got that there shiner after you told Jack that me and you slept together."

It was almost worth everything to see his reaction. His grin slid off his face immediately. "Well, what I meant by that was—"

"Stuff it, Riley. I need to find Jack and explain all those damn lies you told him today." With that Stress spun on her heel and continued to make her way to the train yards.

"If you don't catch Cowboy in time, I'm still here, Stress," he yelled after her, sighing in relief that she hadn't punched him, too. From what he had heard, Stress had a right hook to rival Cowboy's.


	6. LOVE

**Summary**; Written for the RBLH (_RAINBOW_ _BRIDGE_ _LODGING HOUSE_; WWW . GEOCITIES . COM / INSTITUEOFGRACE). After a disastrous fire sends Jack & Stress up to Rainbow Bridge, a cocky Canadian tries to put himself between the pair. Will it take whatever's at the end of the rainbow to keep them together? It just might.

**Disclaimer**; I do not own, nor stake any claim, to any of the original newsboy characters -- they are the property of Disney. The main characters Stress and Riley belong to me. Any other character, when noted, is property of their respective owner. The Rainbow Bridge Lodging House belongs to Dice & Iris.

**Originally Posted**: 08.01.02 – 08.05.02

**Rewritten**: 05.08.06

--

VI. LOVE

When Stress arrived at the Niagara Falls train yards, she walked over to the first conductor she saw. "'Excuse me sir? Is there a train heading down to Grand Central Station in Manhattan any time soon?"

The elderly conductor smiled gently at the girl and brought out a train schedule. He reviewed it quickly before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, miss, but the last train for Manhattan today left about ten minutes ago."

"Thank you, sir," she answered quietly before walking away slowly. She slumped her shoulders as she fought back the urge to cry. Jack was gone. He had left her behind in Canada all because of what some creep had said about her.

In any other circumstance Stress wouldn't have given it a second thought, instead just shrugging her shoulders and heading back to the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House. But this wasn't a normal circumstance. This was her love, her Cowboy, her _Jack_. And he was gone.

Stress sat down in the middle of the station and started to tear up even more so, scolding herself all the while. "You never should have become such good friends with Riley, especially since you knew how much it upset Jack. You should have just came straight to the train yard instead of stopping to talk to Riley for a bit and you might have stopped Jack from hitching that train. And you definitely shouldn't be sitting in the middle of the train yards crying like this. Do you want people to think your weak?" she asked herself. But, to no avail, she couldn't stop her tears from coming.

"Stress? Is that you?"

_It can't be_, she thought as she hastily wiped her eyes and lifted her head.

And there he stood, cowboy hat on his head, bag clutched in his hand. _Jack._

Stress leaped to her feet and ran to Jack, throwing her arms around his neck when she got close enough. "Jack, you didn't leave me!"

Jack stumbled for a bit, but responded to her hug once he caught his balance. "Oh, Stress, no matter how hard I tried, I could never leave you behind." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. He was surprised when his action didn't cause her to pull away; instead, she pulled herself closer to him.

She buried her face in his vest ignoring the stale scent of smoke that lingered to it. "Jack, there's something I need to tell you—" she began but Jack cut her off.

"It's alright, Stress. I already know about you and Riley. I understand. I just want you to be happy."

Stress tightened her grip on Jack as if she was afraid that if she let go he might find another train to hop aboard. "No, Jack. You don't understand at all. Everyting he told you this morning in that park was a lie. I ain't never done nothing with him."

"But Stress, I saw you two kissing in the library yesterday." Jack had to bite his lip to suppress the smile that threatened to come. _Maybe she still wants to be with me after all_, he thought to himself.

Stress blushed slightly. "That wasn't my fault. Riley just came up to me and started kissing me but I pushed him away. He made me tell him why I didn't like him like that and I told him the truth. I love you, Jack, not him."

"Say that, again, Stressie," Jack said as his smile lit up his face.

"I love you, Jack, and I know I always will. I'm so glad that you didn't go back home to Manhattan without me. What would I do without you?" Stress looked up at Jack, tears glittering in her golden eyes.

Jack leaned down and, using his right hand, lifted Stress' face to meet his. "I love you too, Stressie. And I don't know what you'd do without me, but I sure know that I couldn't do nothing if you wasn't by my side. That's why I decided to stay. Even if I had to let you go and be someone else's girl, I would. Though I'm a lot happier that you're still mine."

Stress giggled softly as her tears silently spilled over. Ignoring Jack's left hand that he was using to wipe away her happy tears, she looked at him lovingly. "Kiss me, you sap, before I go find Riley to do it for ya."

Jack chuckled as he looked down at her. "Ya better not, Stressie," he threatened passionately before he listened to her demands.

And, for the first time since they had arrived in Canada, they were both were they belonged: in each other's arms.

- - -

They stayed locked in their embrace for what seemed like an eternity, as if they let go one of them would disappear forever; when it ended, Stress and Jack clasped hands and began to head back to the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House. There were no words spoken between the two of them, both of them content in just sharing the other's company. Besides, all the words they needed to say had been said inside their kiss down at the train yards.

After walking for awhile, she made out the familiar-looking structure in front of her. "Good old Rainbow Bridge," she whispered to herself as she stared out into the distance, remembering the first time she saw the bridge, a little over a month ago.

As the two of them stopped walking for a moment, Jack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Hey, Stressie?"

"Mmm..." she murmured, her head leaning back into his chest.

"I was just thinking about something you said when we first arrived here," he said as he rested his chin on top of her hair.

"And what was that, Jack?" she mumbled, not wanting to come free from his hold.

"Did you ever find out what was at the end of that rainbow here?"

Stress pulled her head forward and tilted it up to look into Jack's brown eyes. "Yeah, Jack," she smiled and, turning around and reaching upward, kissed the tip of Jack's nose, "I think I did."

--

_Fin._


End file.
